With the continuing advances and developments of electrical manufactures, the multimedia computers in new generation with high image and audio quality are widely used and more popular. The expenditure enhancement for computers also causes the popularization and vigorous development of related industry. As well known, the system performance of a computer is decided mainly by the motherboard and those devices, such as CPU, RAM, chip sets, etc., fabricated thereon.
For instance, the new generation of CPU has more fine and complicated internal frame fabricated so as to provide higher operating frequency and multiple powerful computing functions. And the new generation of PC133 and PC150 DRAMs are introduced to promote the ability to deal with multi-media data of personal computers due to its enlarged memory space. Except for the CPU and memory, other devices, such as south and north bridge chips, AGP cards, net cards, and modem cards, are manufactured with more complicated structures and powerful functions, to satisfy the requirements of consumers.
However, for the various devices with the more complicated structures therein, how to integrate effectively these devices for further promoting system performance has become an important issue. Actually, when a computer system is operated, the devices on the motherboard usually have different loadings. For example, when the executing program needs a large number of computing procedures, the CPU will be involved in a busy state; and when the executing program centers on transferring and processing of graphical data, the AGP card will be kept in a busy state.
Namely, when a program is executed, sometimes the CPU or memory device is busy, sometimes the peripheral devices mounted on the PCI slots are busy, and sometimes for a lot of devices there is nothing to handle. Therefore, if the all devices can be integrated effectively and the system source such as power or bandwidth can be allotted to these devices according to their actual operating states, the system performance of the computer will be further promoted. For instance, if the task of executed programs centers on the operation of the memory device, the source supplied to the memory device can be increased; and if there is nothing to deal with for the CPU, the operating rate of the CPU can be slowed down so as to reduce power consumption and promote system performance.
Though in current producing lines, the manufacturers usually preset the operating rate and voltage of each device and predetermine the optimal parameters of system performance according to experiences and trade-off. However, when the computer is in operation, the constant optimal parameters can not be real-time adjusted to have the system source redeployed basing the operating state of each device. Hence, in practice, the preset priority for each device to share the source is usually different with the actual need of the computer system according to the real operating state of each device. In other words, the system performance can not be real-time optimized to fit with in the actual condition. And the computer system will consume more power and reduce the lifetime of devices.